Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Kamadhenu, also known as Surabhi (सुरभि
Surabhī), is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hindu mythology as the
mother of all cows. She is a miraculous "cow of plenty" who provides
her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of
other cattle as well as the eleven Rudras.In iconography, she is
generally depicted as a white cow with a female head and breasts or as a
white cow containing various deities within her body.

All cows are
venerated in Hinduism as the earthly embodiment of the Kamadhenu. As
such, Kamadhenu is not worshipped independently as a goddess, and
temples are not dedicated to her honor alone; rather, she is honored by
the veneration of cows in general throughout the observant Hindu
population.

Hindu scriptures provide diverse accounts of the
birth of Kamadhenu. While some narrate that she emerged from the
churning of the cosmic ocean, others describe her as the daughter of the
creator god Daksha, and as the wife of the sage Kashyapa. Still other
scriptures narrate that Kamadhenu was in the possession of either
Jamadagni or Vasistha (both ancient sages), and that kings who tried to
steal her from the sage ultimately faced dire consequences for their
actions.

Kamadhenu plays the important role of providing milk and milk
products to be used in her sage-master's oblations; she is also capable
of producing fierce warriors to protect him. In addition to dwelling in
the sage's hermitage, she is also described as dwelling in Goloka - the
realm of the cows - and Patala, the netherworld.